Sarakosti
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Kira Sarakosti is an old Greek Easter tradition represented by a small paper or bread figure of a nun-like woman with seven legs. Each leg represents one week of Lent and the figure was used as a calendar to count down the weeks until Easter. In older times in Greece, one of the legs would be cut off each week starting from Clean Monday until only one leg remained on Holy Saturday. The final leg piece would be hidden in a dried fruit and brought luck to whoever found it. Thus, Kira Sarakosti served as a folkloric representation of Lent that has now mostly disappeared as a custom in Greece.
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Sarakosti
- 1. Kira Sarakosti An Old Greek Easter Tradition Kira Sarakosti, is a small figure, a paper drawing or sometimes baked of bread dough, which features something really unusual: a lady that looks like a nun who has seven legs and her hands are folded as if in prayer. Lady Lents seven legs each represent one week of the fasting period, from Clean Monday to the Holy Week. There is a cross on her forehead representing her religious beliefs and she has no mouth, indicating that she cant eat because she is fasting. WORLD EXCLUSIVES 5th Primary School of Rhodes Easter custom A Greek custom that has almost been lost is that of Kira Sarakosti, Lady Lent. This is a custom associated with the celebration of Easter that nowadays has almost disappeared, while formerly you could find it throughout Greece with different variations, as Kira Sarakosti was used as a calendar that counted the weeks of Lent.
- 2. Lady Lent was used as a calendar of Lent all over Greece in the older days, and each week, starting on Saturday (after Clean Monday) Greeks used to cut one leg off. The last leg was cut on Holy Saturday. This leg, this small piece of paper, was folded well and hid within a dried fig or walnut (in the region of Chios), which was placed along with other fruits. Whoever found it was considered lucky (gourlis). In some areas, the seventh leg was squeezed inside the bread of Resurrection, and was considered to bring luck to whoever found it. Kira Sarakosti